"Real" Storm

Many of you have heard of the devastation that occurred in Phoenix late Thursday night, early Friday morning. Hurricane force winds blew through Central and downtown Phoenix knocking over trees and power lines, blowing in windows and causing electricity to be out around the city. I am grateful that all seems well, there have been no reports of causalities due to the storm, and people are getting their power back! I have to say though that it put a REAL damper on my day!


Tyler was supposed to go to school (didn't get a call that it was cancelled until we were on our way, her school had no power), and Jackson and I were heading over to Matt's Big Breakfast. THIS very thing is the reason why I don't tell my kids where we are going until we get in the car to go there or as we are pulling up! Jackson is obsessive, and once he knows we are going somewhere, there is no appeasing him (EXCEPT with Chuck E Cheese, and that place doesn't open until 10, so it doesn't always work!)! However, this time was different because it was his four "special" days with me, so I let him choose what we did. Even though Tyler's school was cancelled, I was not even going to THINK about detouring from the original plan. We started off towards Central Phoenix, and once we crossed over the mountain at 7th St and Peoria, the drama began!! 7th St was closed, so I cut over to Central on Mountain View. Sunnyslope was attending school, so I thought, "OH, that's good news!" Kept driving, got to the light at Northern, and it was a stand still! There was no electricity, AND the most irritating part was that there were NO POLICE OFFICERS in sight trying to direct traffic! I cut over to 7th Ave, and it wasn't much better, but I told myself that it was because it was three lanes as opposed to Central's two! Finally, we get to Missouri, where for the first time, I saw a policeman directing traffic. I LITERALLY rolled my window and gave him a "THANK YOU" wave! He nodded in response, but I was just soooooo happy to see him or anyone for that matter directing traffic! I was able to pick my mom up from Brophy so that she could come with us through the destruction of Central Phoenix

We finally made it to Matt's Big Breakfast ONE HOUR AND FORTY MINUTES after we left home!!!! When we pulled up, I was certain that we would be the only crazies out in the aftermath of the storm. BUT NO, there was easily an hour to two wait wrapped around the building. My heart sank, I thought, "I know we drove all this way, but now I have TWO CRAZIES with me instead of one, and they are NOT going to wait for food!" SOOOOOO, my mom and I made the heart wrenching decision of driving by and heading back towards home, but we found this wasn't as easy as we thought. 7th St was closed just North of McDowell because an aluminum roof had blown off a building, so we did a u-turn and pulled into the Einstein's Bagels at 7th St and McDowell where we all inhaled our bagels. Jackson was STARVING! Then we walked over to the Safeway in the same complex to kill some more time, and it was just so sad walking in there and seeing all the refrigerated stuff being pulled off the shelves. There were no baked goods because they had just gotten their power back as we walked in the door. It was like NOTHING I have ever seen before.


Pat had a horrible time getting to work that morning as well. What is normally a 15 minute commute lasted over an hour because all the streets he takes to get there were closed due to downed power lines.



I have a whole new respect for what the people in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast are preparing for! My thoughts and prayers are with each and every family preparing for the worst!

Completed Bear

My Dream about Michael Phelps-rated G!

OK, so it is no secret that if I could choose one cosmetic procedure to have done, I would have BIG, WHITE, porcelain veneers (picture of girl who has veneers) on any tooth in my mouth that you can see. My teeth are hypo calcified, which means that they are REALLY good teeth, but they don't have enamel or look pretty. SO, last night, I have this dream where I am sobbing because they just told me that it would cost $20K (which is NOT a stretch), and I am devastated because I can't afford it, when in walk Michael Phelps. AAaaahhhh! I know you are thinking that he is going to offer to pay, but no, in turn, he lays down in the chair and has the dentist check his teeth/mouth, and the dentist tells us, "Well, It would cost Michael $100K to fix all his problems!" I know in my dream it was meant to make me feel better, but today, thinking about it, PHELPS CAN AFFORD IT!!!

**SIDE NOTE** He drives the exact car I want!! Love that man!

Big B, Little B, what begins with B?

Bowling and Bears! Today, Jackson and I had a GREAT TIME going to Michael's to shop for googly eyes for his bear, and he decided that he wanted the bear to have eyebrows (SEE, I do let him participate), so we picked up some stuff for that as well! Then, it was off to bowl. Jackson got a STRIKE, and he was super excited. I got one right after him, so we decided that it was the magical cheese sticks that we had just eaten which enabled us to get the strikes! Good times had by all! I am also including a picture of how the bear looks like as of today, so that by the time it is done, you will all be so impressed with how far "we" have come!

This one's for Karissa!

"Nothing says change like a guy who has been in the Senate for 25 years." -David Letterman talking about Joe Biden being Obama's running mate! Made me laugh, and since we couldn't find any good t-shirts the other day, this is as good as it gets!

Arts and Crafts for Whom?

We went to meet Jackson's teachers today, who I just think are the greatest things ever. I will keep you posted on whether or not my feelings change throughout the year, but I DOUBT IT! Anyway, the theme in their room for the first month is Teddy Bear Picnics. They gave me this blank teddy bear, and we are supposed to fill it with pictures of family, stuffed things, animals, pets, etc. They said to work on it with your child, but really, glue, pictures, and Jackson! That sounds like a nightmare to me. So I have ordered the pictures, thought about some ways to decorate the bear, but I am stuck. Give me a blank scrapbook page, and I would be set, the bear shaped thing, kind of throwing me for a loop! LOL!

PS-Before I get comments about how I should let Jackson express himself, and how he should embrace this project, BLAH BLAH BLAH, I have SEVERE OCD!!!! This is why I send him to a wonderful, fantastic, student led preschool that allows him to express himself there. Don't send messy, art projects home that need to hang on the wall of his classroom ALL YEAR!!!!

Coupon WH*RE!

I am a sucker for a good coupon! Just wanted to pass along a little known, but unknown tip to all of you online shoppers out there. When you are purchasing something from a site, go google, the store name and coupons, you will be AMAZED at all the coupons that will pop up in front of you! With Tyler being sick yesterday, I did a lot of online shopping, and these coupons saved me tons! Halloween costumes, a new home phone system (REALLY NEEDED IT, soooooooooo EXCITED ABOUT THAT), more Halloween costumes, seriously, the possibilities are endless. Start Googling!!!!

Tattoodle

Tattoos are not for me, I have never loved anything enough to permanently place it on my body, but I have to admit that if I ever went to the Olympics, win or lose, I would totally get the Olympic rings tattooed somewhere, and maybe the year and city of the Olympics I participated in! Same is true of like Final Four, Super Bowl, etc. Maybe it is not too late, maybe I will live vicariously through my children and tattoo their accomplishments on me! Don't be scared, it will most likely be on my wrinkly butt! :-)

Celeb Gossip!

Just hadn't taken the time to say how UTTERLY disappointed I was that Gwen Stefani named her new baby boy, Zuma Nesta Rock. She was my example of a good celeb rocker name, using the name Kingston, and her kid was actually able to pull it off because his parents are rockers. Apparently there is some strong connection to Jamaica and Bob Marley with both names, but still, not a fan!

Also, just wanted to congratulate Ellen and Portia on their marriage. Really happy for them, and they both looked gorgeous on their wedding day! I absolutely adore Portia's dress!

Two Days and Counting

Tyler has been to school twice now, her first day being Wednesday, and already, she has the drippy nose, watery eyes and cough. I know it is for the best because it will build up her immunity, but she is NOT a fun sick person. She was up every hour last night wanting to be held and have her nose wiped. Even the magic potion, AKA Tylenol, was not doing the trick. I am hoping that she is soooo exhausted tonight that she will sleep soundly, but if her nap was any indication of tonight, I am in for it again! My poor baby!
I am truly disappointed, as I was supposed to host an End of Summer Ice Cream Social tomorrow, but I have since renamed it a Back to School Ice Cream Social. Her teacher also invited her to come in for Music Class on Monday, just so she would continue to get accustomed to her class, and I was iffy about that, but now I don't even have a choice. They would throw me out the second we walked in the door.

Tyler's First Day of School

Well, she made it through the day. They thought about calling me because she would cry on and off all day, and let me tell you, I am glad that they didn't call me. When I walked in, she was sitting on Miss Katie's lap and was PERFECTLY content. She did start sobbing the SECOND that she saw me, and she has been kind of clingy the rest of the day, but overall, I think she is going to adjust nicely. She loved taking her lunchbox, she tells me that she had fun, but she is TWO, so who really knows!
Jackson was GREATLY concerned by all the kids lying down to take a nap. He wanted to know why they were all sleeping there, didn't they have beds at home, and why weren't their mommies and daddies coming to get them. I explained to him that some kids have a mommy that works and a daddy that works, so they have ANOTHER PERSON that loves them all day, so they get even MORE LOVE! But, he didn't buy it, he just told me that he didn't know how the kids stayed at school all day, didn't they miss their families. Guess he appreciates me staying home more than I realize!

I have such hams for children! They just can't wait to smile once that camera comes out. We are coming dangerously close to not being able to get a "normal" picture because their smile takes over their whole face, but I thought the picture above was cute!

Indoor Miniature Golfing

With the temperature rising daily, we are desperate to get out of the house, and we were lucky enough to discover a great little indoor golf place right around the corner from our house. The cheese factor of this place was AMAZING, and I don't know how much older children would enjoy it, especially if they had been to Castles and Coasters, Crackerjax, etc. before this place, but for our kids it was PERFECT!!! They had the best time. Jackson treated the golf ball more like a hockey puck, guiding it to the hole. Tyler spent the whole time yelling, "MISS!", thrilled that it wasn't getting in the hole! They gave the animals hugs and kisses, and thought it was a grand ol' time! If they thought those animals were great, I can hardly wait to see them at Disneyland in January! Tyler got a little tired on hole 16 and decided that she would just sit down and hit the ball.

They also had a fabulous HUNGRY, HUNGRY HIPPO video game, and for those of you who don't know, that is item #1 on his Christmas/Birthday list!

Gobble, Gobble

Not even kidding when I tell you that Tyler has eaten four pieces of turkey lunch meat this week, PRAISE THE LORD!

Naive??

As Shannon and I watched the Olympics last night, I realized that I am totally naive, I totally fall for the good boy image, and that I am really attracted to HUGE JERKS. My point in saying this is I wonder if Michael Phelps will become my next disappointment! He seems so wholesome and family oriented, but really, he's probably a slime ball just like Edwards!!

On a side note, 1/100th of a second!!! The guy is freaking amazing. I thought I was going to be sick when like EVERYONE else I thought he got silver, but he pulled through again. What an amazing athlete!

So Disappointed!

Many of you know that I LOVE to shop for clothes, and I would walk by Limited Too, looking in the windows with drool, waiting for the day that Tyler could fit into their clothes (which at this rate could be college)! THEY ARE FREAKING CLOSING THEIR DOORS, or they are changing them into their lower end Justice stores, which I have been in, and I think their clothes look as cheap as they really are. I don't have much else to say, other than I am disappointed that Tyler will never have a chance to wear their clothes!

L is for "Don't Take a Picture of the Picture"!

I don't have many pictures from our trip to the Phoenix Art Museum this morning. I was desperate to get out of the house, so the kids and I went to walk around the Phoenix Art Museum. I thought they would have fun looking at the different pictures, BOY WAS I WRONG! Jackson played along for a little while trying to find things that I had spotted in the painting, but mostly he was just concerned with when we were going to go on the elevator, and if he could push the button. Tyler just wanted juice and snacks, but there is no food allowed, and most of the time I would think that means for the adults and ignore the rule, but there was seriously an employee like every five feet watching over you.
The lady at the front desk thought that we would like the firefly exhibit. I could not see one inch in front of my face to even enter the room and maneuver my stroller through, so I don't know what the woman in the lobby thought a three and one year old would find exciting about a pitch black room with a few lights. Both my kids are crying, and the employee outside seriously came in to see if all was OK. I think she thought I took them in there to beat them or something. She's like, "Is everything OK in here!" What do you think lady? The deadly quiet museum was just not the place for us today.
Then, we ran into another employee who told us about the children's section of the museum. So, Jackson was thrilled because she told him he could touch things there. BUT, then on our way there, some other lady told us to come back on Saturday because that's when the children's section opens, so Jackson starts crying. I wanted to eat lunch at the Arcadia Farms restaurant inside the museum. The child, who loves restaurants, is so disturbed by the place that he doesn't even want to stay there one more minute, so we left and got McDonald's on the way home. Not exactly what I had in mind, but they do have a fantastic Southwest Chicken Salad, so I honored the poor guy's wishes.
The kids did find one painting that they liked, you can see why, so I took their picture in front of it so that you would all see what an educational morning we had. As soon as I snapped the photo, a employee was on top of me telling me that if there is an L in front of the picture number it means that it is on loan and can't have pictures taken of it! FOR THE LOVE OF MONKEYS!

School is coming, school is coming

Today we went to meet Tyler's teacher and pick out new lunch boxes at the Disney store. I tell you what, Tyler's teacher is going to give her a run for her money, and I cannot wait! She is totally and completely Jackson's shadow these days, and just wants to do everything he does. She refuses to drink out of sippy cups because he doesn't, she wears flip flops everywhere now because Jackson does, and even has to stick her tongue out like him. She went from sticking her tongue out like she always does, to doing her best to be like Jackson.
We headed out to Scottsdale Fashion Square because they are the only mall with a Disney Store left. Jackson was thrilled to learn that they had a Buzz Lightyear lunch box, and Tyler chose the Minnie Mouse one. They each got a bag to carry their lunch boxes home in. All in all, it was a very pleasant morning!

If you didn't see it last night. . .

check it out on You Tube before it is gone. Search Olympics, 2008, swimming, relay, and you should be able to catch a glimpse of Team USA kicking some SERIOUS butt in the 4 X 100 freestyle relay. I guess the French team had been talking some mad sh** for the days leading up to the race, and if you can watch long after the US wins to see the shock and disbelief in their eyes! Michael Phelps keeps his dream alive to be the most decorated man at an Olympics! We are rooting for you buddy! Here is a picture of him when he learned they won!!!

Lazy Bones

Many of you know that I have been under the weather lately which leads to us being cooped up in the house (more on the conditions later), soooooooooo remembering many darling pictures I have seen on blogs, I pulled out sleeping bags and laid them in front of the television before starting a movie hoping that this would inspire them to sit still for longer than normal. Jackson never needs much encouragement to watch a movie, so he was thrilled, and I have to say Tyler lasted five minutes more than her normal five minutes, so it gave me ten minutes of peace!

Scum Bag

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080808/ap_on_el_pr/edwards_affair

What a jerk!! I cannot even fathom what the wife must be feeling at this time. Was the cancer too much for him? He didn't even have it! Was he pissed because he wasn't getting any because she was too exhausted after just going through treatment for cancer? Poor baby!! ARGH, I am just so frustrated and disgusted right now, that I cannot even handle it. I think it just upsets me more because John Edwards was Pat's man. Pat would love to be President one day! He idolized him. I heard TONS about this man, his background, career, etc. Pat and I just had a lengthy conversation about this, and Pat is heartbroken. He will never look at him the same.

What Tyler ate yesterday!

1/4 of a frozen waffle
1 bag of Strawberry Shortcake fruit snacks
1 fruit cup
1 bite of Kid Cuisine chicken nugget
1/2 chocolate chip cookie
1/2 Dixie cup of Fruit Loops
1/2 of a piece of bacon dipped in ketchup (THIS WAS DINNER!)

I could list Jackson's food intake, but that is so not even near as funny to me. I think the half of a piece of bacon dipped in ketchup is what made me take notice! Jackson and I now sit and talk about how Daddy and Tyler eat like birds, and we are GOOD EATERS!! Until next time, keep eating!

What do you think?

Do they look alike, similar, or like they are not even related. These pictures are totally representative of their personalities at this age too because Jackson was such a happy child, and Tyler, while she has her moments, is a much more serious child. I see this face about a million and one times a day, and it is the face she makes before she starts repeating her request for some item OVER AND OVER AND OVER again!!

What a way to start the day!

You know those days where things just don't start off on the right foot! Today was that kind of day! Doing dishes this morning, when somehow a wine glass comes right off the counter crashing down on the tile! I just had a flashback to my sister telling me that the new glass baby bottles are really difficult to break, when she asked me my opinion of them, and I told her, "They will BREAK!" Send them to this house, and I guarantee they will break, I can break just about anything because just about everything makes it to my tile floor sooner or later! I was pleased though that it was one of my new SUPER CHEAP wine glasses that I bought at IKEA, a set of 18 glasses (6 white wine, 6 red wine, and 6 water glasses) were a total of $4 when I bought them. Can you beat that? Since I have broke just about all the wine glasses I got from Williams Sonoma for our wedding, I figured that until I am a more responsible adult, I probably should not have nice wine glasses! They are no where near the size of my old ones, and I have to get up and refill them more often, but for now they will do!
THEN, I had a doctor's appointment at noon, so Pat came home to watch the kids on his lunch break. I should have known from the parking lot that there was no way I was going to be seen on time, but I walked in, and there was not even a seat available for me to sit in, the PLACE WAS PACKED. They said she was running 45 minutes behind, probably more like 2 hours in doctor land, and I was like, "PEACE OUT!" My time is just as valuable as their time is, maybe if we all start walking out, they will understand! I was just looking forward to seeing whether or not her treatment would help, so I was a little discouraged, but hopefully, I can reschedule!
So, this leads me to present time where you can find me typing this posting and wondering if it is bad to drink a glass of wine before my pedicure appointment at 6:00!!

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,. . .10

What happened to nine? Who cares because my almost two year old can count to ten! Totally unexpected! I knew she could count to three because she is always helping me tell Jackson that he has until I count to three to do whatever it is I want him to do at that very moment. ANYWAY, today, I said one, so she said two, I repeated her two and she said three, I repeated her three, she said four, so on and so on! She totally skipped nine, but who really needs that number anyway!! She is just getting to be such a big girl! Do I need to rethink baby number three!???

Let's All Go Play in the Sun

This week, we took a little mini vacation and went to go stay at the new Arizona Grand (old Pointe South Mountain), and what a GREAT TIME we had, and we didn't even leave the city. The first night we went swimming at their amazing water park, and then we headed out to eat at Rustler's Rooste-now officially known in our house as the slide restaurant!

Both Pat and I have fond memories of the place as a child, so we thought our kids would really love it! I played it smart in wearing a dress to Rustler's Rooste, so I didn't have to get up ONE TIME with them, HA HA! (Not a plan, just kind of worked out that way since I didn't have a lot of time to pack!) The food was incredible, Pat and Paul shared the Cowboy Stuff, and it was a ton of food, but they cleaned the platter, saved room for dessert, and BEER of course!












And, just so you know I was there, here is a picture of Jackson and I pretending to be cowboys. We are obviously reversed, but there was no stool behind it, and Jackson could barely reach, so we tried to take the picture as quickly as possible, before he three year old patience ran out!!!


I managed to get some cute pictures at their amazing beach entry pool! Jackson and Tyler could spend hours there each and every day. They had incredible frozen drinks for mommy and daddy, Dippin' Dots, sandwiches and fried food, MMMmmmm! Isn't Tyler such a big girl drinking out of a big girl cup? Just wants to be like her big brother!


















Last, but not least, does anyone notice anything different about Jackson!???